Nível Intermediário › Quando o terremoto aconteceu

PAST SIMPLE X PAST CONTINUOUS
Dialog: "Where were you when the earthquake hit? I was sleeping."

We use the past simple to talk about a completed action that happened at a specific time in the past. We use the past continuous to talk about a continual action in the past. We often use both the past simple and the past continuous in the same sentence to talk about a completed action that happened while another one was in progress in the past. Check out some examples.

1) PAST SIMPLE
FORM: SUBJECT + VERB (past)

• Claire did her homework this morning. (A Claire fez a lição de casa dela essa manhã.)
• My father drove to São Paulo last Thursday. (O meu pai dirigiu para São Paulo quinta-feira passada.)
• Did you go to the movies last night? (Vocês foram ao cinema ontem à noite?)

2) PAST CONTINUOUS
FORM: WAS/WERE + VERB (-ing)

• She was playing the piano this morning. (Ela estava tocando piano esta manhã.)
• Were you cooking something last night around 11? (Você estava cozinhando algo ontem à noite lá pelas 11?
• We weren't trying to talk to the boss. (Nós não estávamos tentando falar com o chefe.)

3) PAST SIMPLE WITH PAST CONTINUOUS

• I was sleeping when you called me. (Eu estava dormindo quando você me ligou.)
• Was she taking a shower when the burglar entered the house? (Ela estava tomando banho quando o assaltante entrou na casa?)
• We made dinner while you were driving home. (Nós fizemos o jantar enquanto você estava dirigindo para casa.)